“Microsoft’s Office for iPad, iPhone, and Android is a reality,” Tom Warren reports for The Verge. “Although Office Mobile has been rumored and reportedly spotted in the wild, Microsoft has remained persistently quiet about its plans for the product.”
“The Verge has learned through several sources close to Microsoft’s plans that the company will release Office versions for Android and iOS in early 2013,” Warren reports. “Office Mobile will debut in the form of free apps that allow Android and iOS users to view Microsoft Office documents on the move… Microsoft will allow iOS users to purchase an Office 365 subscription within the app, or let organizations distribute codes to enable Office Mobile editing for users. The apps will allow for basic editing, but we’re told this won’t go very far in attempting to replace regular full use of a desktop Office version.”
Read more, and see screenshots, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The early Surface RT numbers (or lack thereof) may have woken up even Microsoft’s Ballmer T. Clown temporarily.
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Microsoft Office killer: Apple and VMware team to build cloud-hosted office suite for iPad, sources say – October 22, 2012
Microsoft working on Office for iPad, say sources – November 29, 2011
“stripped down.” Mini- Bloat?
If you have a paid version will one be able to write, to save…. for free on iOS?
Well, the version on RT is already “stripped down”, so it will be at least comparable to the crappy Surface RT version (and should run much better since Windows RT is such a turd of a mobile OS).
I see this as another cheap ploy to drive people to Surface.
MS knows that, at the moment…Office is the only reason to consider a Surface. The reviews I’ve seen for Surface say that, while most 3rd party Surface Apps totally suck, Word is pretty good. But, if Surface on an iPad is good…why buy a Surface…why not wait? So…MS is rushing to tell everyone that Surface on iPad will suck in the hope that this drives them to Surface.
Typical cynical MS. Of course, what will happen is that, if Surface crashes and burns…which seems likely…and mobile products threaten Office, then all of a sudden MS will release a usable version of Office on iPad. They can’t afford to be shut out of mobile as that will dramatically accelerate their already inevitable slide to oblivion.
MS is walking a tightrope. I think they’re hosed but their options are limited because they’ve been asleep at the wheel for so long.
Of course it is. It’s a drowning company trying to grasp onto anything to get more air.
A subscription to get actual usefulness? That is going to be a true winner approach there. I like their strategy, I like it a lot!
I will not subscribe to MS for use of any app.
Cut off your nose to spite your face. Good plan…
Pages does it well. Why bother with Microsoft?
I just downloaded Pages to my iPad mini yesterday. The screen is flawless even without retina.
They strip out the few useful features–like the backspace key and choice of fonts–and leave you with the bloated cruft.
F*** Microsoft! Install iWork on your iPad, iPhone, iPod instead. iWork works wonderfully on the iPad & iPhone, no problems at all.
You can export documents to Word or Excel formats. It’s as easy as 1,2,3. Not to mention iCloud integration across all your devices, including the Mac with Mountain Lion.
Another Micro Soft-in-the-Head misstep to completely screw themselves out of mobile…. This company is like a ship with no rudder… They have power, but just keep plodding aimlessly around like a drunk Zombie.
Better yet, a drunk Zunbie.
How many Gigabytes it would take? No matter, will not pollute my iPad.
So…..I use quickoffice pro HD on my iPad. Tell me how a stripped down MS Office would be better…..
FAIL.
………………………………………………………….?
The Office team had been ready to do this for over a year. Ballmy and Stefno have put the hold on it to try to help Win 8.
It may not be a great version but it will hurt Surface and Win 8 a little. Overall, it should help MSFT. They’ll sell a ton of subscriptions to biz users. In the 10’s of millions.
Do we really need office for iOS? I thought the days of office suites were over.